


Under Fate's Command

by HiddenEye



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Multi, OT3, Older Characters, Polyamory, Post-Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-14 12:26:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11208063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenEye/pseuds/HiddenEye
Summary: Keith seemed to asses him carefully, those indigo eyes picking him apart the same way Allura did that Shiro wasn't surprised they had adopted those kind traits from each other. They were mostly similar in ways they hadn't realise, after all, and Shiro used to tease them about it whenever they did something subconsciously.Used to. Clearly, his disappearance changed that.





	Under Fate's Command

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously, I shouldn't even be doing this when I have a lot of other wips that needs my attention more because of the deadlines they have but oh well :~)
> 
> Unbeta'd, enjoy!

Truthfully, if someone were to ask Shiro what was it like to swim among the stars while being able to breathe, he'd say it varies.

Because it wasn't exactly like being outside a shuttle in the middle of nowhere. He could say it was nothing like the time when he was with the Holts on Kerberos, where he had to make sure he was taking precautions by checking whether or not his oxygen tank was full and that his harness was buckled securely on him. It was stepping out of the confined and plastic compartment while making sure he survived outside, knowing that a single white rope was the only thing that was going to prevent him from floating into the mass of darkness.

However, being able to walk in another realm while it wore the universe as its cloak was a different thing altogether. The purple skies stretched over and under his feet, millions of stars that seemed so near to touch yet still so far when he reached towards them, and he thought he was only a breath away from knowing what eternity felt like when it suddenly recoiled from him sharply.

He should have known this, of course, this was what he had to face before. He should had known that any existence, physical or not, wouldn't want to be in contact with him after what he did, after what he was used to commit. But, it still left a hollow feeling in the middle of his chest, where he couldn't do anything but let it happen.

Sometimes, Black kept him company when she could. At this place of existence, Shiro felt her energy there stronger than when they were in their physical forms, and it hummed and murmured against his skin in response to his questions. And like all supernatural beings Shiro encountered in his short life, she wouldn't give him a straight answer whenever he asked what was going on with his friends, with Voltron.

 _They are safe_ , was what she kept whispering into his conscience, projecting burst of colours and sounds into his mind with vivid intensity, a reassurance that did nothing to kindle the growing frustration that grew inside him even if he tasted the clean air of them all. _They are safe, and they are well. Worry not, paladin._

He had no idea of what was happening at the other side, of how much time had passed the whole time he was stuck there while he tried to keep himself busy.

His body clock told him it could have at least been four days, but he wasn't sure. Nothing was concrete when he found himself in a place where time didn't seem to exist and the days and nights could have all been a myth for all he know, because the skies reached around him in such a way that sometimes he felt as if he was in a giant and opaque purple hamster ball.

The claustrophobic urge threatened to take hold of his own body, but he managed to swallow the grating nerves down while steeling himself from the worst.

He would have had anything to have something to do than just sit around. He almost wished he was fighting monsters than to have his own broken mind as company, something Shiro wouldn't want to face for as long as he lived while being forced to face what he vowed to repent when he wasn't shivering in the memory of it. Seeing his own hands twisting what weapon he used then would always be engraved with the screeches that echoed loudly under him.

The black lion stood tall above him, a constant reminder that he wasn't entirely alone.

She helped, feeding him with all the warmth he needed and he took from her gratefully.

It wasn't until he realised he found himself on the cold floor of Black's hangar, his side pressing against it as he swallowed gulps of air to revive himself after god knows how long he had been stuck in a place of the unknown.

Bright lights glared onto him as he remained curled on the floor, and Shiro squinted through the sudden change while a migraine began crawling into the back of his eyes. He squeezed them close to let the pain subside, but only felt the way it pulsed at the side of his skull before spreading to the back of his neck with an intensity that made him weak.

The small groan escaped past his cracked lips, forcing himself to open his eyes again as he pushed himself off the floor with one hand. He stiffened when the world tilted in front of him with an alarming jerk of force, making him grit his teeth as he swallowed down the bile down his sore throat.

With trembling fingers, he yanked the helmet off his head and almost threw it beside him, not allowing himself to care at the loud crack echoing throughout the large space as he slumped against one of Black’s paws. Sweat collected at his brow for his efforts, and he shut his eyes again to avoid looking at the wobbling walls around him.

The croaking chuckle that broke out sounded sharp against the empty room when he swiped a hand over the familiar chilly floor.

Home sweet home.

Footsteps were fast approaching behind the closed doors, their muffled voices were becoming louder by the second suggested that they were worried by the sudden activity in the black lion's den, where it was supposed to be devoid of any intruders that Shiro knew the castle had informed them of his presence the moment he so much dropped in.

He hadn't known how he was there in the first place, but the lingering feeling of _big_ and _endless_ still clung onto his shoulders like cobwebs while Black's presence rested heavily inside his mind. Licking the front of his teeth, Shiro tried to use that an anchor to pull himself together, clicking all of his senses into place while he eased the overwhelming urge to dig his fingers under his skin and scratch out the restless energy that dragged onto his flesh unmercifully.

The doors slid open under someone’s command, and the familiar line of connection between the other paladins of Voltron that were dulled during his moments inside the astral plane ignited once more, blazing to his core that he was able to feel what they felt with its second hand capacity.

Confusion, caution, anger.

Their bayards hummed in the space between them, and Shiro could _feel_ the obvious way they froze at the door. Prying his eyes open to see the commotion was a feat itself, but he made himself watch the way shock and disbelief rippled through their expressions like a wave through his lashes, soaking in the familiar faces with a slow intake of breath before letting it out through his nose.

“Shiro?” Hunk breathed out quietly, rooted to the spot as all of them stared at him unblinkingly.

Shiro was about to make a smart comment to ease the tension bubbling underneath, but stopped himself with a snap of his jaw as he realised something different about the way they looked.

 _Older_ , was what first came to mind. He picked out scars that littered against their faces and the wariness that weighed in their eyes. They held their weapons with full confidence, different from when it was still awkward the first time it was entrusted to them. They stood tall as a team, where Pidge and Hunk remained on either side of Lance as the three of them tried not to gape at how Shiro was sprawled uselessly on the floor, while Coran flanked by Hunk's left with the same expression on his face, the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes looked prominent than before.

By the time Shiro dragged his gaze from them, the sight of Keith staring back at him with his jaw locked into place made air lodge into Shiro's throat. He noticed a large scar that ran up Keith's right cheek, a clean cut that would have came from the blade of a sword and almost got him in the eye, and he would have been blind if the owner aimed more to the left. His body had filled more than the last time Shiro saw him, his hair now tied into a ponytail near his nape while the familiar scowl had all but vanished as he trained his eyes onto Shiro.

He could see Keith's blatant surprise shifting into something more empty.

Where Keith kept his hair, Allura had cut it off until the end of those silver strands brushed against her shoulders, and Shiro saw the way one curl attached itself against her neck. She stood on Keith's right, nearly pressing into his side while the grip she had on her staff made her knuckles turn white from the strain. The fire in her eyes blazed as she raked them onto Shiro, and he suppressed the shudder that threatened to climb up his spine as she dissected him mentally.

The reality of how much had changed made panic sink in, and Shiro gritted his teeth as he slammed his eyes closed again, fighting against the pounding headache now pressing painfully on the side of his head.

“Shiro,” Pidge began, alarmed as she took a step forward, but Allura shot her staff out to block her way.

“How are we sure we're talking with the Shiro we know?” Allura demanded, and Shiro felt the way her glare prickled against his face. “How do we know this isn't some trick to get us killed?”

“He'll never be a double agent, if that's what you're asking,” Lance told her wryly, but his look was almost hard as his eyes flickered towards her. “This is Shiro we're talking about, he's not going to do anything he doesn't want to.”

“He might not,” she agreed. “But, the druids are capable of forcing him to do things even if he didn't want to. There's no guarantee if he's even himself at the moment or if this is some type of energy mimicking him to lure us out together.”

She was right, Shiro wasn't going to deny that logic when it was obvious he had been missing far longer than he had hoped, and was currently facing this twisted truth being shoved into his face.

He let his eyes roam over them fleetingly, and noticed how Keith depended his life by clutching onto the red bayard rather than the black.

“Galra didn't take me,” Shiro began, using Black's paw to push himself up to a stand, ignoring the way they tensed as he propped himself against it. Gravity was dragging him down and he resisted by meeting their eyes. “I wasn't captured, and I wasn't anywhere near within their reach.”

“Are we sure about this?” Hunk questioned doubtfully with a glance at Keith's way, who stayed quiet the whole time while he made no move to break his frozen gaze away from Shiro. “We're really going to believe him just like that without any reason to check for confirmation?”

“He's _Shiro_ ,” Pidge snapped, clearly agitated being put back but remained behind Allura's staff. “We trust him.”

The unwavering faith made warmth spread across his chest almost searingly, and Shiro attempted to give her a small smile.

Even she was different, taller than he last time saw her while her hair had grown out into a ponytail on top of her head. Her glasses had been changed into an earpiece that served as an eyepiece as well, where the soft blue hologram was perched in front of her right eye as it read onto him, zooming in and out that he was sure she had been taking in his appearance the moment they all walked in.

“I know we trust him,” Hunk protested, readjusting his hold onto his cannon that Shiro saw the muscles of his biceps shifted as well. “But the fact that he looked exactly the same after all these years during that battle with Zarkon kind of freaks me out a little. I mean, he's even in his suit.”

Shiro snapped his gaze towards him, and Hunk immediately shut his mouth closed as he met his eyes with a wince. “Sorry, man,” Hunk said gently at Shiro's wide eyed look. “It's been a while.”

That confirmed what he feared would happen then, what _had_ happened, but it still didn't help the twist in his stomach as the weight of it threatened to pull him down. And the fact that they did nothing to deny what Hunk said made it worse.

“Keith?”

Allura reached out to rest a hand on Keith's shoulder, allowing him to snap himself out of his thoughts when he spared her a glance. At the small frown etched itself between her brows, Keith let his expression soften the slightest bit at the realisation of her worry, but his shoulders remained tight under her palm as she smoothed it down his shoulder until it rested on the middle of his back instead, offering quiet comfort and support.

Shiro watched all of this with his heart stuck in his throat before Keith shifted his gaze on him again.

It was obvious they were all waiting for Keith to say something as they stood where they were, the type of teamwork they had been working hard on achieving from the very beginning until it was now established deeply inside them. They had come a long way, and Shiro knew he missed everything that had went on and didn't blame them if they got tired of waiting for him to make Voltron work thoroughly.

Keith seemed to asses him carefully, those indigo eyes picking him apart the same way Allura did that Shiro wasn't surprised they had adopted those kind traits from each other. They were mostly similar in ways they hadn't realise, after all, and Shiro used to tease them about it whenever they did something subconsciously.

Used to. Clearly, his disappearance changed that.

Shiro watched the way Keith dematerialised his bayard to its less threatening appearance, but that didn't stop how he was holding onto it despite the painfully neutral look on his face. He had gotten better at hiding his emotions, Shiro realised this when Keith still held his stare. “It's him,” he said simply. He dragged his gaze towards his team. “It's Shiro.”

Relief seemed to diffuse from their shoulders, and they shifted into a more easy stance as they put away their weapons as well. Coran stepped forward with a smile on his face, holding out an arm that Shiro wholeheartedly accepted as the Altean helped him straightened up. “Welcome back, number one. Been a while, ain't it?”

Shiro leaned against him, blinking away the black spots dancing in front of his eyes while swallowing down the bile from his mouth. “Yeah,” he managed, looking to the side to give the older man a wry smile of his own. “It has.”

When he lifted his head, Keith had already left the room without a single glance back.

“Keith-” Allura called out, following him out of the hangar with hastened steps. Shiro wasn't able to see where they went when Lance came bounding towards his way with a grin on his face.

“So, the dead do come back.” The Blue Paladin came up his side and clasped his arm. Lance had grown up as well, with stubble growing along his jaw while his eyes still held the same blue twinkle in them. “I was wondering if I had to shoot a zombied version of you when the security feed showed us your face, but I’m kinda glad I don't have to.”

Shiro offered a quirk of a smile, shutting away the hurt that clenched inside his chest as he made a mental note to search for both Allura and Keith later. “Keep that in mind when the time comes.”

Lance blinked at him once, before letting out a breathless chuckle with a small shake of his head, giving Shiro's bicep another hard squeeze. “Wow, Keith wasn’t kidding when he said you had a sick sense of humour.” Lance let his hand slip away as with a smirk. “I didn't believe him then.”

Shiro shrugged. “An act of benevolence never hurt anyone.”

“Hardly,” Coran commented, slipping an arm around Shiro's waist. “Come on, we need to get you to the pods for some rest.”

“He's right about that,” Pidge said with a stroll towards his way, Hunk walking behind her. “You look like shit.”

An eyebrow cocked up as Shiro looked at her smug expression. “Thanks.”

“You're welcome.”

Hunk patted a hand on his back, and Shiro hid a wince at the strength he possessed. “Sorry about the doubt and all,” Hunk began with an apologetic smile. “We kinda got extra antsy after you went _poof_ , and we were being extra careful with everything and all.”

“It's fine,” Shiro reassured him. “I'm glad you had to do what you think is right, so there's no need to apologise.”

“Yes, and you need your rest,” Coran urged, and they began their walk out. “I'm letting you sleep through the night, and don't try to argue with me,” he warned when Shiro opened his mouth. “Stars, you can't even walk properly. I'm _demanding_ you to rest and that's that.”

Closing his mouth, Shiro glanced at him and saw the way the corner of the Altean's eyes crinkled from worry, and guilt crashed into Shiro at how he could at least give him this. They had been worrying whether or not he was alive for a long time, listening to them to ensure that he was there with them was good enough.

The trio had fell into conversation between themselves as they stayed closed to Shiro, who let their voices filled in as background noises while they walked down the hallways to get towards the pods. Glancing around, everything about the ship remained the way it was, and Shiro took comfort in that fact.

He was back, and that was all that mattered for now.

 

* * *

 

Waking up with a start, Shiro took a sharp breath while the door to the cryopod slid open, dreams vanishing in a blink of an eye that he couldn't even bothered to remember what it was when he tried to even out his panting.

There was a possibility his brain went down the memory lane during his days as the Champion the moment he let his guard down. It wouldn't be a far cry, he decided faintly, but he was rather glad he didn't have to see it happening in front of his eyes all over again, and quietly thanked whatever force of nature gave him the peace he needed.

His cloudy mind made him take a step forward, and he stumbled slightly at his loss of footing before he felt lean arms catching him from falling. Their bodies were flushed as the person held him close while he clutched onto their elbows to steady himself, and felt a hand brush through his strands of white hair as he blinked through the haze that veiled in front of his eyes before looking up.

Once he could see properly, Allura gave him a smile. “Hi there.”

Shiro answered with a smaller one of his own. “Hi.”

The same hand slid down the side of his face, cupping his cheek that caused him to turn into the touch until his eyes fluttered close. He could feel the way she marvelled at how putty he turned in her touch. “You need to watch your step,” she mused, brushing a thumb against the swell of his cheek. “No use being in there but then earning yourself another bruise the moment you got out, is there?”

His eyes opened to meet her eyes, where those kaleidoscope pools merely stared back at him with something solemn in those depths. Despite her light tone, he knew she was sealing everything tightly to prevent him from noticing it. However, he already saw what was forbidden to him from the beginning, and there wasn't stopping the thin knife that sliced through his chest.

The firm grip of her hands allowed him to stand on his two feet properly, and the chilly remains of the pod still clung onto the white bodysuit he wore while his gaze swept through the place. “It's just me,” Allura informed him, before giving his hands a single squeeze and then letting go to check on his stats. “The others had something else to do and weren't able to wait for you, they're hoping you'd understand.”

“Of course,” he replied immediately, watching the way she tapped a few things on the screen before the pod sank into the ground again. “I don't want to burden them.”

It was an old excuse and he knew she would have rolled her eyes if she wanted to, but merely gave him a dry look. “You do know that's not what they think of you.”

Shrugging, he rubbed his arms to get rid of the lingering feeling of the pod. “Force of habit.”

“We'll try to get through that,” she promised. “In the meantime, you need to change into your clothes.” Pausing, she looked over him quickly. “Do you need help walking?”

He shook his head, squaring his shoulders. “No, I'll be fine.” Then, he thinned his lips. “Is it okay if we just sit here for a moment?” He asked, gesturing towards the small stairs with a wave of his hand. “I don't think I'm welcomed into the room yet.”

If she was surprised at his statement, she didn't give any indication it did and only shot him a look that leaked of guilt and resignation, clearly understanding what he implied and Shiro knew she had tried to do something about it earlier that day. The attempt had been rather fruitless, if the slight slump of her shoulders said anything, and they'd only rely on time to smooth it all over until Keith was ready to face him again.

The Venetian mask Keith wore wasn't going to last, or at least, that was what Shiro hoped so as he prayed for it to be destroyed into shreds under fate’s command. It didn't matter if it would take so long, he was willing to wait for Keith to not look at him so emptily ever again.

A grunt escaped whether or not Shiro wanted it to as he lowered himself to the ground, sitting heavily on the top step. He let his legs spread unceremoniously in front of him while Allura made herself comfortable on his left, shoulders brushing at every move they made just as he leaned back to rest his weight against the floor by using his palms.

“How long was I gone?” Going straight to the point seemed like the right choice, even if the thought made something twist inside his stomach at what he would hear. “And what happened during that time?”

When it took too long for her to answer, he gave her a glance, and saw the way she stared distractedly in front of her with her bottom lip gnawed at. Shiro frowned slightly, curling his limbs near his body and letting his elbows rest onto his knees. “Allura?”

“Six earth years,” she pushed out, one finger tapping against her thigh while he froze. “You were gone for six years, and we beaten Zarkon at four.” She turned to face him, eyes flickering all over his face. “We were hoping we would explain everything to you later, together, the moment you had enough rest. It'll be easier for us to answer anything you might want to ask.”

When he thought that time moved rather differently in the astral plane, he never thought it would that much of a difference despite all the physical changes his friends went through the moment he noticed it. But not this, never this. While he was walking almost aimlessly in another dimension pleading for answers the black lion wouldn't give, his friends had struggled through a ten-thousand-year-old war for six years without him.

Shiro hadn't been there when they took down Zarkon, and he had no doubt he only cost them distraction of his absence when they could have all focused solely on the war itself. Shiro felt as if he was causing them more harm than any good, and the thought of him doing something to prevent that was already too late.

He hadn't realised he was gripping onto his own knees until Allura slid a hand at his nape and pulled him down, connecting their foreheads together while he blinked rapidly at the sudden change of position. “I know you're blaming yourself over this, Shiro,” she accused him quietly, but the concern was there, grounding him. “But, you need to stop. It wasn't your fault in the first place.”

Breathless laughter broke out, and Shiro let his fingers loop around her wrists. “You know, you should just let me beat myself over this. Let me act on my own type of penance.”

“I heard that being your own judge of character can be considered as biased,” she told him with a hum, leaning back slightly to give him a small smirk. “And so, committing to it wouldn't exactly be right.”

The smile dropped as he continued to stare at her, and in the end let his eyes wander towards his lap when her look softened as well. “Keith doesn't hate you,” she continued, sliding her hands to his shoulders. “I'm telling you this because you need to hear it yourself.”

“That's not stopping him from being angry at me, though.” Shiro commented lightly in hopes to improve the mood, and Allura gave a soft snort.

“Anger differs from hate, you can still love someone while being furious at them. But, of course,” she began running her hands up and down his shoulders almost absentmindedly. “That anger can be dissolved in the end.”

He felt his body deflate under her rhythmic touch when he found himself leaning forward again to rest his forehead against her shoulder, and her ministrations paused for a while before she ran her fingers over the buzz of his undercut.

“We missed you, Keith and I.” She murmured, her warm breath fluttering against the shell of his ear as he held onto her waist. “I wish I could lie and say there weren't times when we thought you won't come back to us, but you deserve more than that. You deserve some faith. And now that you're finally here,” she cut herself off, heaving a sigh that made him close his eyes. “I guess it got a little bit overwhelming.”

Guilt pressed heavily against his chest, and he turned his head to simply let his lips rest against her neck, almost hiding his face from view. “I'm sorry,” he whispered against her skin. “I'm sorry I did this to all of you.”

“I told you it's not your fault,” she answered just as kind, ducking her head down to let her nose graze against his cheek, and he was able to detect the familiar scent of her soap. “But all the same, you need to talk to Keith.”

He angled his head to the side more, letting his lips drag against the corner of hers with the sort of desperation with little heat in it; needy but subdued. Allura merely caught his bottom lip with her teeth, where she stared at him through her lashes with the same type of warmth blazing in those eyes. She leaned more to press into the kiss once, twice, before letting it linger a little bit longer while her palm was back on his cheek to hold him close.

They didn't have time for this type of intimacy when they went on with the plan to lure out Zarkon, where endless of sleepless nights prolonged on as they discussed their plans with the Blade of Marmora, dissecting and reconnecting through the details until it seared into his brain. The last time the three of them shared the same bed felt too long ago despite the duration of time the astral plane provided.

A sharp inhale of breath from him broke their kiss, and Shiro remained where he was as they pressed their foreheads together to catch their breath, still holding onto her waist tightly. “You should get dressed,” she suggested. “I'll call for the others and we'll wait for you at the bridge. We'll explain everything from there.”

He nodded, easing his grip from her. “Alright.”

They got up and left the place as they made their way towards her room. At the beginning of their relationship, Shiro, Keith, and Allura decided her bed was far bigger than the bunks both men got in the castle, resulting in a quick understanding of moving in the moment she gave them permission. And so, their possibilities of cuddling had increased as the two of them joined her in her bed, where there were still space for them to roll around or tussle in the morning when they felt playful.

Even that seemed so far away, muddled in between the same reality all of them had to face.

It was then they arrived in front of their room when Shiro heard a muffled voice talking behind the closed door, and immediately froze in front of it. He gave Allura a small smile when she looked back curiously, and he made himself not listen to what went on behind the obstacle. “I think I need your help in getting my clothes.”

“You can't avoid him forever, you know.” She reminded him gently.

“I know,” he sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “I'll change in my old room, if you don't mind.”

She stood near the door frame, studying him from where she crossed her arms. But then, she gave him a single nod. “Alright. Just promise me you'll make it work.”

He gave a wry smile. “I think I'm no longer permitted to make any promises after what I've done.”

The flash of sadness crossed past her expression so swiftly that he would have missed it if he looked away. She pressed her palm on the control panel to give her access, and the doors slid open with a hiss that Shiro shifted to the side in order to avoid being seen.

There were more murmurs as Allura greeted Keith quietly in the room, before the hum of drawers being open and closed could be heard from where Shiro stared at the wall in front of him with his arms crossed tightly against his chest, feeling the nervousness prickling against his skin. Then, he heard footsteps becoming louder until Allura walked out with his clothes in hand, the door shutting close behind her. She held them out for him to take. “We'll see you after this.”

He reached out and took the clothing from her, and she leaned forward to peck him on the cheek. “Take your time, though. There's no rush.”

The moment he stepped into the hot showers, he let out a sigh of relief as the water jets thundered against his back, acting as an impromptu massage as he let all the knots of pressure melt from his muscles. He tilted his head to let the water hit his face, relishing it all fully while steam rolled towards the ceiling, making the bathroom filled with large puffs of white clouds.

He was home. After what felt like days among the purple stars, he was finally home.


End file.
